3Sixteen - Denimhunters

Shop Review: Self Edge – San Francisco

Just north of San Francisco the old defense batteries, that was build on Marin Headlands during World War II tells tales of the fear of a Japanese attack on the all important harbor and city on the American west coast.

Little did they know that the Japanese invasion wouldn’t hit the Levi Strauss hometown until more than 50 years later, and that it would hit in the very same street that used to be home of the Levi’s factory, Valencia Street in Mission District. Fortunately it didn’t come in any violent form, but in the shape of a small shop loaded with state-of-the-art Japanese denim. The name of the shop is Self Edge.

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Published on 25 April 2013 Leave a Comment

A Day With 3sixteen: The Story Behind the Brand

In 10 years, Andrew Chen and Johan Lam have achieved more than most people in the denim business dare dream of. Together they own and run 3sixteen, which in my opinion is one of the most successful American high-end denim brands of the 21st century in terms of commercial success and clear cut concept. In addition to that, living in NYC and LA respectively, Andrew and Johan each run an off shoot of San Francisco’s Self Edge shop in their home cities. As a follow-up on the two original ‘A Day With 3sixteen’ videos published three years ago, director and cinematographer, Kellen Dengler spent a day with the two entrepreneurs in San Francisco visiting their factory, the El Farolito burrito joint, the Sight Glass coffee roastery, and of course the original Self Edge shop. Intrigued by the ties, shirts and outerwear that the previous ‘A Day With 3sixteen’ video from November 2009 documents that they used to produced, which I knew little about, I asked Andrew a few in-depth questions about how 3sixteen came to be what it is today.

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Published on 15 April 2013 Leave a Comment

Exclusive Shop Review: Vater&Sohn

After months of industry buzzing, on the 1st of March Hamburg’s new premium denim retailer Vater&Sohn finally opened for business. Vater&Sohn has from day 1 set out to join the big league of the European denim retail scene. The shop is located the fifth largest city in Europe, it has an impressive start up selection of brands including 3sixteen, Rising Sun & Co., Indigofera, Red Wing Shoes, and Filson, and it is run by three hardcore and perfectionist denim enthusiasts with more experience than you could imagine. Vater&Sohn is the realisation of a dream; although the concept may at first seem familiar, no one has done it quite like this before.

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Published on 19 March 2013 Leave a Comment

3sixteen: Heavyweight Denim News

Known for their high-high quality denim made in America from premium Japanese fabric that retail at very reasonable prices, 3sixteen has in a few years conquered the world with their jeans. The brand has been picked up by leading European denim retailers such as VMC, Burg&Schild and Unionville with many more to come from the fall of 2013. At the last Bread & Butter founders Andrew Chen and Johan Lam had brought along a few news from over there.

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Published on 14 March 2013 1 Comment

Trend Report: Bread & Butter Winter 2013 – The Japanese Invasion

Bread & Butter President Karl-Heinz Müller can look back at a very successful January edition of his ‘tradeshow for selected brands’. Taking place for the 8th time in the majestic hangars of the old Tempelhof airport, Bread & Butter is definitely on the rise. With 560 brands exhibiting and only 12% of these being German (in addition to 7 out of 10 of all guests being non-Germans) Bread & Butter’s position as the leading international fashion trade platform is undisputed. The most noticeable growing group of international visitors were the Japanese. Along with the boom of Japanese top brands exhibiting at the show, the number of Japanese visitors has doubled. “We’re very delighted by this development since Japan is still an essential indicator when it comes to quality and trends of the future,” says Mr. Müller. More than ever Bread & Butter is about quality over quantity.

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Published on 26 January 2013 1 Comment

Brand Profile: 3sixteen

In terms of philosophy and approach, 3sixteen and Denimhunters are almost the perfect soulmates. It’s all about an honest simple product and sharing your knowledge and passion by creating something you can truly vouch for. The aim of 3sixteen is to produce the highest quality clothing and accessories, using premium materials and quality American manufacturing. Everything pair of 3sixteen jeans is made in the US, handsewn in San Francisco, and the star of the show is the textile; the denim is developed in collaboration with Kuroki Mills in Okayama, Japan, and woven specifically and exclusively for 3sixteen.

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Published on 30 July 2012 1 Comment

Shop Review: Burg&Schild

“This is a store for real men who seek clothes not costumes.” This is how Burg&Schild describe their business themselves. The name of the shop is an abbreviation of the last names of owners Shane Brandenburg and Kay Knipschild. As one of the top 3 denim shops in Berlin, Burg&Schild ideal customer owns a motorcycle, wears black boots and never washes his jeans. Customers value their clothes for what they are not what the labels on them say, and they know that nothing feels better than a boot, a pair of jeans or a leather jacket that has been perfectly worn in. I had a little chat with Shane about bikes, boots and denim.

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Published on 16 July 2012 1 Comment

Trend Report: Bread & Butter SS13

Bread & Butter is one of the world’s most important tradeshows. Period. It’s the biggest, the most visited, the most creative, and most inspirational show in Europe – maybe in the world for that matter – but for the 27th show this summer many of the usual suspects including Levi’s, Lee and Diesel were not exhibiting. The question “why” was on the lips or in the back of the minds of many attendances. Is Butter & Butter losing terrain, is it too expensive for the big brands, or is it the economy were some of the questions? However, instead of mourning the loss of the giants, I personally celebrated the birth of something new, something very exciting for hardcore jeans lovers and denim enthusiasts; the Tempel of Denim.

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Published on 9 July 2012 1 Comment

Authentically Worn In Jeans at Bread & Butter

Tradeshows always make people bring out their best denim. This article is a small selection of some of the most beautiful authentically worn in jeans at this summer’s Bread & Butter tradeshow. Enjoy.